Barely five days after Nigeria signed a digital tax agreement with France, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has demanded for full disclosure of terms of the agreement, allegin’ that national security and sovereignty are about to be compromised.

The Federal Inland Revenue Service had last week signed a landmark cooperation pact with France aimed at modernising Nigeria’s tax administration through digital transformation, capacity development and improved cross-border enforcement.

The Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, (FIRS) Zacch Adedeji and the French Ambassador to Nigeria, Marc Fonbaustier, signed the memorandum of understanding on behalf of both countries.

The agreement, signed at the French Embassy in Abuja, is to formalize working partnership with France’s tax authority, Direction Générale des Finances Publiques, one of Europe’s most technologically advanced revenue agencies.

Speaking on the deal, Adedeji said the partnership symbolises a shared ambition to build “stronger, more resilient and forward-looking” tax systems at a time global public finance is being reshaped by technology, artificial intelligence and cross-border digital commerce.

The FIRS chairman listed digital transformation as a central pillar of the pact, noting that Nigeria aims to leverage France’s experience in automated compliance systems, data-driven audits and taxpayer service platforms.

The ADC in a statement on Sunday however alleged that the deal with France ” raises serious questions about transparency, national sovereignty, and the protection of Nigerians’ data.

The full statement reads: “The ADC has carefully reviewed expert opinions on the recent agreement on digital tax reform and revenue administration signed by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), on behalf of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, with the Government of France.

“Quite significantly, we note the overwhelming concern that the agreement potentially endangers Nigeria’s data security and exposes strategic national economic information to foreign exploitation. “Attempts by the FIRS to explain these concerns away have failed to convince anyone that the agreement was done in the nation’s best interest, especially given the manner in which it was hurriedly and secretly packaged.

“Tax matters are about business, not charity. In entering into this business agreement, the FIRS has told us what Nigeria stands to benefit. However, it has failed to tell us what France stands to benefit from this deal. Why did the Federal Government of Nigeria enter into a serious agreement such as this, which potentially infringes on national security and sovereignty, without public disclosure of its full terms, without open engagement with the National Assembly, and without any meaningful effort to carry Nigerians along?

“More fundamentally, we cannot ignore the broader political context of this agreement. Across West Africa, France’s role and influence are being openly questioned. Former French colonies are loosening or severing their neo-colonial ties with the country. Yet, under the Bola Tinubu administration, Nigeria appears to have become more Francophone than the French.

“Nigeria’s local content policy was designed to encourage the development of national human capital and to reduce capital flight by promoting domestic industries, especially in the provision of services. With the plethora of competent and globally acclaimed national service providers in this sector, why does President Tinubu prefer to promote his French connection rather than local capacities?

“These tax reforms should provide opportunities to strengthen national institutions and build local capacity, not to create new dependencies or hand over strategic control of our economic intelligence to external actors.

“The ADC is therefore calling for the full publication of this agreement, proper briefing of the National Assembly, and an independent assessment of its implications for data security, cybersecurity, and national sovereignty. “The details of this closed-door arrangement must be published for all to see, or be terminated.” (Sunday Tribune)

•FIRS and France’s Direction Générale des Finances Publiques signed a memorandum of understanding at the French Embassy in Abuja.

Update news